


I Keep Telling Myself this Might be Nothing

by stormylullabye



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Flirting, Flirting Chicken, For the love of God, Getting Together, M/M, Suit!Nate, Use Your Words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 03:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14762063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormylullabye/pseuds/stormylullabye
Summary: "It's right around the time that Tyson finds himself googling "What are the steps of the scientific method?" that he realizes he might have a problem."In which Tyson likes Nate, Nate likes Tyson, and they spend way too long doing something about it.





	I Keep Telling Myself this Might be Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> Mandatory disclaimer: if you got here by googling yourself, your friends, or someone you know tangentially, please just stop here. It's not worth it.
> 
> Okay, so, friends. I did not intend for this to happen and I have several things to credit. Credit/blame to somehowunbroken for never shutting up about hockey, coining the phrase "flirting chicken," and helping with various other hockey facts that I didn't know before I wrote this. Second, to [ the Pucking Rare prompt challenge,](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/PuckingRare2018) which inspired this fic even if it didn't end up getting submitted over there. Third, to significantotters for this prompt: "Tyson Barrie/Nathan MacKinnon  
> how obvious can they be before someone clues in that they're not BFFs" in the prompt challenge. This fic does not fit that prompt, really, but it definitely made some hilarious scenarios in my head and directly lead to this.
> 
> Also, my previous longest fic was like 1500 words, so I really can't explain what happened here, but I hope you enjoy.

It's right around the time that Tyson finds himself googling "What are the steps of the scientific method?" that he realizes he might have a problem. Before, there had been hints, like that time when he took the long way to drop Nate off about a month after the construction was done and neither of them mentioned it, or when Nate came over to hang out because Tyson was bored and EJ asked Nate the next day why he had cancelled their plans. Tyson had pretended not to hear EJ, but not looking at Nate's reaction was one of the hardest things Tyson's ever done. He had written those off, though, because maybe Nate forgot about the construction like Tyson pretended to and maybe Nate was just worried about Tyson after a tough loss that featured Tyson absolutely being at fault for a Habs goal.

Now, though, Tyson is pretty sure that Nate feels the same way he does (even if Tyson couldn't possibly put that feeling into actual words). That isn't the problem. That is, in fact, the exact opposite of a problem. The problem is that Tyson is going to drive himself crazy making sure and, even if he does, he has absolutely no idea how to broach the subject. Not to mention that Tyson is possibly the most awkward human ever to exist. After today, though, Tyson can't just keep doing nothing, which is what he's been doing to this point, and it has led to him being at home on his night off googling the _goddamn scientific method._ So, while Tyson might admit that he has a problem, he plunges forward.

Step one: ask a question. That one is easy: does Nate want… okay, maybe not so easy. Does Nate want the same thing Tyson wants? But that requires Tyson to figure out what he wants, which he's not quite willing to do until he knows if Nate wants to figure out what he wants with Tyson too. No, that might not be very understandable, but screw it. Tyson is not going to even think the things he wants with Nate unless he can have them. Tyson's mental barriers are stronger than his impulse control. If he doesn't keep those thoughts cooped up, he'll act on them with potentially disastrous consequences. So, he supposes, the question will be: how does Nate feel about Tyson? 

Step two: form a hypothesis. After today, it definitely seems like Nate feels more than just friend-type things for Tyson. Step three: make a prediction. Tyson predicts… that Nate feels more than just friend-type things for Tyson? Seems repetitive, but hey, Tyson's not a scientist. Step four: testing. Yeah, see, this is the step Tyson's pretty much dreading. He knew it was going to be a thing that he was going to have to do, but still. Wikipedia's section on testing has no suggestions for how the world's most awkward person is supposed to test whether his male best friend (who has never discussed having a sexual desire for men) and teammate on a professional sports team (which is just generally a no-no area for gay relationships) likes him as more than a friend. In other words, the scientific method is basically useless. Really, Tyson shouldn't be surprised. He should've asked a Magic 8 ball. That would've taken a lot less time and been just about as much help.

Tyson lets his head fall back onto the couch and closes his eyes. His mind, being the absolute bastard that it is, brings up Nate's smiling face. Nate isn't smiling like he scored a goal (brilliantly, like evil doesn't exist in the world) or heard a teammate is having a baby (sweetly, like he's never heard of anything more adorable than reproduction), though. No, the Nate in Tyson's mind has a somewhat crooked half-smile that doesn't reach his eyes, like someone just told him he's being traded and he's not sure if it's a joke or not. Tyson knows Nate's smiles. Tyson can usually tell you exactly how Nate's feeling by his smiles. This smile, though? Tyson had never seen this smile until earlier today. 

Today was a day off. Genuinely off, too. Not 'off but there is optional practice,' not 'off but you're doing a fan meet and greet at King Soopers from 3-5,' actually, honest-to-goodness _off._ A bunch of the guys had decided to go hiking at Red Rocks because the Front Range is weird and it was supposed to be in the upper 60s in February. Nate invited Tyson, who obviously accepted because he has no preservation instinct when it comes to his legs and also because it was Nate who invited him. Besides, physical activity on a day off means ice cream, and Tyson is never one to turn down ice cream.

They arrange to meet up at seven in the morning, which should be illegal, but Gabe insists that they need to get there early in order to finish the hike before the sun sets. Tyson downs two coffees on his way and gets there at 6:58, having broken only about three traffic laws. Between that and the fact that both Josty and Kerfy arrive after him, Tyson figures he does pretty well. The eight who showed up form a loose group and do some leg stretches while chirping the rookies for being late, and then they start their hike. Gabe is in the lead, which surprises nobody. The others follow in ones and twos, with Tyson and Nate at the back of the group.

The beginning of the hike is mostly uneventful. A high in the upper 60s is nice and all, but that didn't keep it from getting below freezing last night. It's still really cold this early in the morning, especially in the shade. They climb quickly, the brisk air working with their pace to wake Tyson up. About fifteen minutes in, Tyson turns to Nate and says, "Morning."

Nate turns and looks at Tyson. "Morning?" he asks. "We've been together for like twenty minutes, dude, and you already said hi to me in the parking lot."

Tyson thinks back to the parking lot, doesn't remember saying hi, and goes with, "Oh. Well, I actually feel awake now, so now it counts as morning."

"That is definitely not how time works," Nate replies, chuckling.

Tyson actually says, "Time is just an invented construct used to create an orderly society." Things like this are why Tyson is not allowed to do media unless he gets adequate sleep and puts himself in the right frame of mind first. Things like this are also why, even after preparing for media, Tyson still occasionally calls Gabe a "stallion" on camera in a piece that will be aired to the entire Pepsi Center and then posted online for millions of people to access. He's not _wrong_ , but he still didn't have to say it out loud.

Nate laughs so loudly that Mikko turns around. He looks like he's about to ask what's so funny but sees that it's Nate and Tyson and just shakes his head instead. Nate says "dude" and laughs again. Tyson gives up trying to talk, given that he can't be a normal human. A few more minutes pass, then Nate says, "You know what I love?"

Despite his best interests, Tyson decides to play along. "Hiking? Mornings? Leg pain? Me?" He lists them quickly and is joking, but still stops himself, half-blushing when he realizes he said 'me' out loud. Still, maybe he hadn't made it weird. Hockey players are close, and Tyson does love all his teammates in a way. It feels like it's been multiple minutes since the question came out of his mouth, but that's probably just Tyson's growing embarrassment talking. He risks a glance at Nate, and that's when he sees it. The odd, crooked, half-smile is sitting there on Nate's face and his eyes are unsure and conflicted. He just kind of hums in agreement and nods, which doesn't answer the question at all, and now Nate's stupid half-smile face is burned into Tyson's head.

Tyson ends up spending the rest of the hike up debating what that half-smile means. Nate catches up to Mikko after trying a couple more times to ask Tyson about mundane things and getting single word answers. That doesn't help anything either, because normally when Tyson's stuck in his head Nate will ask if he's okay or tease him. This time, Nate just gives up and goes to talk to Mikko instead. Tyson spends the hike back down debating what _that_ means.

Tyson is now, hours later, sitting on his couch and debating what it all means. Still. He doesn't have a satisfactory answer other than the one he came up with on the hike, which before today seemed all but impossible. But there it is. The only thing Tyson can figure is that Nate's answer was _yes, Tyson, I do love you and I want to spend forever showing you how much_ , except maybe not in those exact words. In his weaker moments, Tyson admits that he feels the same way for Nate and has basically since Nate joined the team, but he hasn't mentioned it to anyone. It isn't that his sexuality is a secret—the guys have seen him flirting with both men and women in bars after games—and for the most part, his team is cool about it. Crushes on teammates are different, though, so Tyson hasn't mentioned any, even if Gabe is one of the most perfect physical specimens on the planet and Nate is… well, Nate. A crush isn't worth throwing off the team dynamic, especially when it's almost certainly one-sided. 

If it weren't one-sided, though, it could be worth exploring. The thing with Gabe is easy enough to shove to the back of Tyson's mind. Gabe's incredibly attractive, but Tyson can get attractive elsewhere. Tyson has put the thing with Nate behind his mental barriers, too, even if it is harder to define and impossible to get from anyone else. Nate's certainly not ugly, but he's not conventionally gorgeous either. The thing with Nate is that he's magnetic. He has a certain humor-filled, hard-working, giving air about him that makes Tyson want more. It doesn't hurt that he's ridiculously good at hockey, which is extremely sexy, if you ask Tyson. 

Some of Nate's more incredible goals start playing in Tyson's head, and right as Nate makes an unbelievable second-effort wrap-around goal against the Red Wings, Tyson is very suddenly reminded why he doesn't let himself do this. He's flushed and warm and undeniably turned on from a stupid highlight reel in his own mind. Nate's half-smiling face from this morning comes back to the surface and Tyson forces his eyes open, focusing his attention on the television he's been ignoring, which he apparently left on the Food Network and is currently playing one of those crazy cake shows. This week's challenge is some kind of sports theme and, for once, Tyson is glad that America is dumb and hockey is unpopular because at least he won't be reminded of Nate.

That theory works until Chef Duff shows up in a Bruins jersey to judge the cakes. Tyson groans and turns off the TV. It was obvious that the basketball cake was going to win anyway; it had a modeling chocolate version of Lebron shooting a three-pointer on it. Looking at the clock, Tyson decides that it's ice cream time and gets ready to head out and get some. Even if he came back with extremely complicated feelings, he did complete the hike earlier today, which means he deserves dessert. 

Just as Tyson's opening his door to leave, there's a knock, and then he almost gets hit in the nose by Nate's knuckles as Nate goes to knock again. Luckily, Tyson's almost been hit with a puck enough times that he's extremely quick at avoiding things headed for his face when he sees them coming. As Tyson moves his face to the left, Nate's eyes go wide and he pulls his hand back down to his side. "That was fast," Nate says.

Tyson holds up his car keys and replies, "I was just leaving to get some dinner." There's a fairly short, Tyson thinks, pause between the words 'some' and 'dinner.' He doesn't even know why he lies. Usually Nate doesn't chirp him for his ice cream habit like the other guys do, but Tyson doesn't feel like he can take the chance right now. He wasn't expecting Nate and he hasn't prepared himself for this yet. His brain just doesn't handle unexpected conversation very well.

Nate smirks, because of course he noticed, and says, "I brought dinner." Tyson looks down and sees the shopping bag in Nate's hand with what looks suspiciously like two pints of Häagen-Dazs in it and smiles despite himself. He sets his keys back down on the table and steps back, letting Nate through the door. As Nate walks down the hall into the living room, Tyson closes the door a bit slower than necessary. His mind goes through what to do and say faster than is really intelligible, and by the time Tyson joins Nate in the living room, he's no closer to having a clue of how to behave than when he opened the door. 

"Spoons?" Tyson asks, because ice cream is something he always understands and implements are necessary to eat it.

"Brought some," Nate replies, pulling a box of plastic spoons out of the grocery bag along with the ice cream.

"You bought plastic spoons to come to my house?" Tyson asks, raising an eyebrow in Nate's direction.

"Not that I doubt that you have adequate silverware with which to devour ice cream, Tys, but I wasn't sure you'd be here." Nate shrugs, holding a spoon out to Tyson along with a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough.

Tyson takes the offerings and drops down next to Nate on the couch, prying the lid and stupid plastic barrier off of his ice cream. "Your plan was to buy ice cream and then go looking for me? It could have melted!"

Nate snorts. "That would have been your fault if you weren't home."

Tyson has a mouth full of chocolate chip cookie dough but will not take that kind of insult to his pride, so he speaks around it. "Hey, you cannot blame melted ice cream on me, like, ever. I wouldn't do such a thing." Tyson points his spoon at Nate's face. He's settled on acting normal for now, because that's what Nate's doing, and maybe they can just forget how they were both weird earlier today. Then Nate leans towards him and licks Tyson's spoon and, nope, it's weird again. Tyson's eyes go wide, and he hopes he doesn't flush too deeply red, but his mouth definitely drops open.

Nate, for his part, leans back and licks his lips. He frowns, looking at his own ice cream. "Maybe you're right, Tys. Maybe chocolate chip cookie dough is better." He shoves his spoon down into his ice cream and pulls out a huge bite, licks it, which Tyson thinks is entirely unnecessary, and then eats it. He smiles his triumphant smile, like he was destined from a young age to always have the right answers. "Nope, chocolate peanut butter Häagen-Dazs is still the best." 

As Nate turns to look back at him, Tyson manages to get his mouth closed, at least. "Definitely not," he replies, and thank god Nate decided to get into the one discussion that Tyson can have without thinking. "Chocolate chip cookie dough is the number one ice cream flavor, period." 

Nate shakes his head, gets some more chocolate peanut butter on his spoon, and moves it towards Tyson's face. "Try this, Tys. It's better."

Tyson attempts to say 'no,' but Nate's spoon is in his mouth as soon as it opens, and Tyson takes the ice cream off of it reflexively. He pulls his head back, swallows, and says, "Nope, no, you're wrong. That is probably the best chocolate ice cream ever, but it still doesn't beat cookie dough."

Nate smiles again, cute this time, like kittens and puppies. He goes to get more of his ice cream out of his pint, but the spoon snaps. "Aw, man," he pouts.

"Rookie mistake." Tyson smirks and gestures towards the box of plastic spoons. "Frozen peanut butter is hard."

"Shut up," Nate replies, getting up to fetch a real spoon from Tyson's kitchen. As he gets up, he stretches, and his shirt rides up above the top of his pants, exposing a sliver of skin on Nate's back to Tyson. Nothing pops in Nate's back as he does it, which Tyson knows means he didn't actually need to stretch. The bastard is doing it on purpose. 

Tyson has seen Nate shirtless hundreds of times, of course, but that's a hazard of the job. Now, Nate is intentionally teasing Tyson, and that stretch of skin looks entirely different. Tyson doesn't think he has ever been turned on by a one-inch strip of someone's back before, but there's apparently a first time for everything. If Nate is planning to tease him until he makes a move, well, Tyson decides, two can play at that game.

Nate comes back from the kitchen with two spoons and hands one to Tyson as he sits back down. Tyson uses his to take some ice cream directly from Nate's pint, which Nate has in his hand. "See? Metal spoons work better on frozen things." He smiles and eats the ice cream, making sure to pull the spoon back out of his mouth slowly. Shock flicks across Nate's face, but he quickly turns away. Tyson tries not to smirk too hard. Apparently, Nate thought Tyson would break easily, or at least take much longer to catch on. Tyson leans over to grab the remote from the coffee table and turns on the TV, channel surfing until he finds one of the Iron Man movies. He sets the remote down on the couch, focusing all of his attention on the screen.

They eat their ice cream in a semi-companionable, semi-charged silence. When they both finish, Tyson gets up and holds his hand out for Nate's empty container. He steps over Nate's legs, brushing against them as he goes, instead of walking around the couch to throw out the trash and, with a ton of restraint, he thinks, does not look at Nate's reaction. He tosses the containers in the garbage in the kitchen, then puts the spoons in the sink and turns on the water to wash his hands.

"Tys," Nate's voice hums in his ear, and it's coming from right behind him. Tyson hadn't heard the other man get up over the water running into the sink, and a potent mix of shock and excitement runs through his stomach as he turns off the water. 

"Yeah?" he asks in a voice that he hopes is close to neutral as he grabs the towel off the counter to dry his hands and turns around.

"My turn," Nate says, pushing Tyson on the shoulder and stepping up to wash his hands. Tyson lets out a breath and claims some small victory in the slight shake in Nate's hands as he turns the water back on. At least Nate's latest move had flustered both of them and not just Tyson. When his hands are dry, Tyson takes one end of the towel and places it directly into the pocket of Nate's sweats, leaving the rest of the towel hanging out so Nate can easily grab it to dry his own hands. Nate looks at Tyson, down at his side, where Tyson is just now pulling his hand from Nate's pocket, and back at Tyson. Nate's eyes are wide and dark; Tyson's sure his are the same. If there's one thing he's good at, though, other than choosing proper cutlery for eating ice cream, it's beating people at their own games. He'll be damned if he gives in first. He smiles at Nate and walks back to the couch, sitting down to finish the movie.

Nate joins him on the couch after a trip to the bathroom, which Tyson's sure Nate used to calm down. While Tyson's talent might be identifying the flaws in an opponent's game and exploiting them, Nate's is dedication and fierce determination to be the best. Neither of them is going down without a fight. 

They spend the rest of the night watching movies on the couch. After Tyson uses the bathroom, he sits back down a little too close to Nate to be friendly. Nate leans his head down to rest on Tyson's shoulder later on. Tyson grabs Nate's leg during The Shining when Jack breaks through the bathroom door, even though they both know Tyson knew it was coming and didn't really get scared. He leaves his hand there for the rest of the movie. When it's over, Nate gets up to leave so they aren't exhausted for practice tomorrow and Tyson gets up to show him out. At the door, Nate gives him a hug and whispers, "Night, Tys," in his ear before turning around and walking out. Tyson spends longer than he wants to admit staring at the closed door after Nate leaves, wondering if all of that just actually happened.

****

Tyson spends his entire morning shower convincing himself that, yes, Nate had flirted with him and, yes, Nate had gotten turned on when Tyson flirted back. He heads to practice fully confident that it happened, but completely baffled as to why. He also isn't totally sure that Nate will want to keep playing this game of flirting chicken with him or, even if he does, if he'll do it around the team. So, Tyson decides to act like nothing is different at practice. When Nate walks into the locker room, though, Tyson can't help the flush that comes to his face. Nate turns to look and him and Tyson holds his gaze, so maybe he is still playing the game a bit, but Nate doesn't look away either until Bedsy comes in and starts talking about what they need to work on. Then, both men focus on getting ready to hit the ice.

Practice goes normally enough. Tyson doesn't even think about the Nate thing, whatever it is. Once he's on the ice, he's completely focused on practice. Nate is the same way, and Tyson isn't even surprised. The man is having an MVP season because of his hard work and dedication. Nate is a beast in practice, even in the non-contact jersey; Tyson would know, as he has to defend him. After an hour, Bedsy dismisses the top guys and they gather at one end to give Varly some practice at blocking shots that come out of a scrum in front of the net. This part of practice is still valuable, but it's not mandated, and they have some fun with it. The guys love it almost as much as the PR team does when one of them scores and they all put their sticks up on their helmets. There have definitely been some unicorn jokes made.

They're all batting at the puck and taking shots when Nate steals the puck and goes behind the net with it. They don't usually skate around during this part, but Tyson figures Nate will try a wrap-around to throw Varly off. He doesn't, though, and he keeps going out to the boards with the puck. Tyson lines up to defend him, but Nate throws the puck right through Tyson's legs. The puck goes five-hole on Varly and in. Nate throws his hands up like he just got a game winner in overtime, but he doesn't have his goal-smile on his face. Instead, he has his up-to-no-good smile as he skates up to Tyson and chirps him for his crap defensive position.

Tyson knows that Nate is only kidding, and everyone knows that Tyson isn't going to risk injury by going down to block a shot in practice, but he shoves Nate lightly while he laughs. Nate stumbles back dramatically, says, "You want some, Barrie?" and comes back at Tyson, all with that same stupid smile on his face. This is drastically unfair to Tyson, really, because Nate is still in his non-contact jersey after his shoulder injury against Vancouver, and now everyone is looking right at them, probably worried about Nate. He gets right up in Tyson's face and says, softly enough that none of their teammates can hear, "Because I'll give you some if you want some." All of their teammates are still watching, and now Tyson is bright red, and Nate is the actual worst, except then Tyson has the most brilliant idea. One corner of Tyson's mouth lifts in a smile that could only be described as evil, and Tyson leans up to give Nate a kiss on the cheek. He pulls back and skates away, leaving Nate gaping.

The team, for its part, is howling with laughter, because Brad Marchand had kissed Leo Komarov in November, and everyone talks about it constantly even though the Avs don't have to play the Bruins again unless they meet in the… well, nobody is ever going to say that out loud. Hockey players are a bunch of superstitious snowflakes and it's just not worth risking it, okay? Tyson's kiss pretty much ends practice because some of the guys actually have stomach cramps from laughing, but a few of the guys slap Tyson's helmet and shoulders as they skate off. Tyson's pretty proud of himself for flirting with Nate right in front of his teammates without anyone realizing while simultaneously winning his 'fight' without reinjuring their star player, but he tries to tone down how hilarious he finds himself. He's awkward enough without laughing at his own jokes.

As the guys head off, Comphy asks Tyson to help him work on his one-timers for a few minutes before heading in. By the time they get to the locker room, Nate's already in the shower. He's heading out as Tyson's heading in and they bump shoulders even though there's plenty of room to pass without touching, but then Nate's gone when Tyson gets out of the shower. Tyson knows it's media day, so he figures that's where Nate is. Then, Tyson realizes it's _media day_ and forgets about Nate and whatever thing they have going on, because he has to prepare to act like a normal person for the cameras.

It goes pretty well for Tyson being in front of cameras, though he has to think for a second when they ask him what his favorite movie is, because he almost says "The Shining," and that's not true at all. He blushes as he stumbles and says, "Boondock Saints," which is also not his favorite movie, but at least it's less embarrassing. When Lauren laughs and asks why he's blushing, Tyson makes something up about how he just doesn't want any kids watching to go watch the movie without their parents' permission because it's rated R and pretty violent, and that works well enough to get Lauren to move on. If that ends up in the final video, Tyson's definitely going to get shit for it, but at least it won't give Nate any extra ammunition. 

Tyson scans the room when Lauren's done with him, but Nate's not here either. Tyson suddenly worries he may have overstepped the boundaries of the game with the kiss. Gabe asks Tyson if he's okay as Tyson walks out. He looks up, flashes a smile, and says, "Yeah, just tired. I'm going to catch a nap."

Gabe laughs, says, "Me too," and waves. 

As Tyson heads to his car, he pulls out his phone and sees that he has a text from Nate. _Nice move. See you in the morning._ Tyson grins as he gets in his car to head home because the text means that Tyson didn't push it too far. The lack of any attempt at a retort also means that he did manage to fluster the hell out of Nate, which is kind of what he was going for, so he counts that as a victory.

****

Tyson realizes it's Valentine's Day on his way to Pepsi Center for morning skate the next day, so he stops by a convenience store on his way in and picks up one of those Reese's hearts for Nate. He's one of the first ones to the facility, as usual, so he sticks the heart in Nate's locker where it's not obvious but definitely visible and waits. A few of the guys snigger as they pass Nate's locker, but nobody says anything. When Nate arrives, he whines to Gabe about still being out of the lineup, from what Tyson can hear from across the room. Gabe sympathizes, but obviously can't overrule the trainers, and Nate heads to his locker, pouting. When he sees the Reese's, he glances at Tyson, who shrugs his shoulders and grins. Nate looks around and sees that he's the only one with candy, but that all the guys are looking at him expectantly. 

"Is this poisoned?" Nate asks the locker in room in general, smiling. "Or does the PR team just like me better than you bunch of losers?"

The guys variously scoff, roll their eyes, and shake their heads, before turning back to their lockers to finish dressing for the skate. Nate catches Tyson's eye again and licks his lips, slowly and intentionally, before putting the Reese's down and starting to get changed in preparation for whatever physio the trainers will have him doing while the team does their morning skate. Tyson very intentionally does not watch Nate undress after that little exchange. He's already flustered enough and he's about to hit the ice. Plus, they aren't only risking turning each other on in the locker room, they're also risking the rest of the team noticing their less-than-subtle sexual taunts. If Tyson openly stares at Nate getting changed, someone is bound to catch on.

Tyson clears his mind as he heads to the ice, which is made drastically easier by the general absence of Nate from his personal space. The game that night goes well, too. After the Habs incident in January, Tyson was worried he would do something stupid like let in another goal or get extra angry and take a penalty. He manages to do neither of those things. He doesn't end up getting any points, but neither do the Habs, so overall Tyson is thrilled. They head back to the locker room to celebrate their second victory in a row, and this feeling is probably the best thing in the world.

A few minutes later, Tyson is confronted with just exactly how wrong he can be about a thing. The feeling of two victories in a row is completely obliterated when Nate and his stupid victory smile, like sunshine and rainbows, walk into the locker room in a _suit_. It is wrong, so wrong, that a person can look like that in Tyson's vicinity when he is so very sweaty and probably has foam marks on his face from his helmet, not to even mention his stupid hair. Honestly, who authorized this man's entry into the locker room and why could they not wait until Tyson had at least showered? The fact that suits are required of injured players is not the point, like, at all. The point is that someone broke Tyson's general ability to breathe and he has probably been staring at Nate for a socially unacceptable amount of time, but honestly, it's not Tyson's fault that Nate's ass looks so damn good in slacks.

Nate high-fives Soda and Kerfy, who got the goals tonight, and heads over to congratulate Gabe on the win and his assist. On the way to Gabe's locker, Nate brushes his spectacular ass against Tyson's arm, and Tyson probably deserves a medal for pretending not to notice. He does sit very, very still for a minute, but that's completely normal in a celebratory locker room, obviously. 

Tyson's in the shower and he remembers exactly none of his post-game interview; he can only hope that he sounded like he knows what hockey is when he spoke. If he stays in the shower a few minutes longer than he usually does, nobody calls him out on it. By the time he turns off the water, he feels capable of seeing Nate without actually making out with him in the middle of the locker room, which is a drastic improvement, so the extra minutes were totally worth it. 

When he walks out, Nate's telling Toni that he had a pretty good game despite the slashing penalty he took in the second. Toni mentions being exhausted because of some phone call and Nate tells him that 'do not disturb' is a life saver, but really, slashing Jo is natural and Toni couldn't possibly be expected to keep up. It's typical of Nate to be adorably perfect and wonderful to rookies, and at least Tyson's able to get mostly dressed before he has to face Nate again. It's not that he wasn't prepared when he walked out, but, really, facing perfect humans with perfect asses is easier with pants on. 

He's just pulling his shirt over his head when he hears "Hey, Tys" from his left. "Good game," Nate continues. "That block in the first looked like it hurt. I was worried you'd have to go out of the game for a second there." It's not the words that Nate says that have Tyson questioning whether he should've left the showers, it's the way he says them, like he was actually worried about Tyson's well-being. He probably was, too, which just makes everything ten times worse. 

Tyson sucks in a breath, wishing they were away for this game so there would be some larger amount of oxygen in the air, and turns to face Nate. "Yeah, I'll have a bit of a bruise, but it wasn't as bad as it looked. It only stung a little." Tyson wishes he could see any sort of indication on Nate's face that he is also struggling to maintain composure, but he's probably totally fine, the suit-wearing bastard. 

"Good," Nate replies, and has the audacity to smile his relieved smile, like he planned a surprise party and the guest of honor is genuinely surprised. "I wish I had been down there to help, man. I hate being out."

"They'll keep you out until you're ready, Nate. Can't have our star player getting reinjured for our playoff push," Tyson retorts, and commends himself for how normal he sounds in this conversation. It's actually easier to handle suit-Nate when he's directing his attention at Tyson, which seems counter-intuitive, but this way Tyson can't see his ass at all, and it's a blessing. Tyson's actually a bit annoyed that he's flustered at all. He sees Nate in suits constantly. He sees Nate's ass in all sorts of attire basically every day for at least nine months out of the year. This suit, though, may as well have a blinking sign pointing to Nate's ass and a warning that the viewer can never unsee how perfect the ass is ever again.

"So, what's plans for tonight?" Nate asks, far too casually for Tyson's liking.

"Huh?" Tyson replies eloquently. He snaps himself out of his ass-induced musings and processes what Nate just asked. "Oh, well, we have practice and then a flight to Winnipeg tomorrow, so, sleep, probably." 

Nate's smirking, so Tyson's recovery wasn't as smooth as he'd hoped, but Nate's face falls quickly. "Yeah, about that. I'll see you at practice, but the trainers have already told me I'm not playing on Friday, and since it's only one away game, I won't be going to Winnipeg."

Tyson expected this, he really did. That doesn't keep him from being sad about it, though. For the first time in an off-the-ice conversation since the whole ice cream incident, Tyson doesn't even think about what he says next. "That sucks, dude. You gotta heal, though. We need you healthy out there with the end of the season coming up."

"I know, I know. I just hate being held out, and it's even worse when it's an away game because I'm not even in the building and I have to watch you guys on fucking _television_." Nate makes _television_ sound like some antiquated form of torture when he says it, but his expression is so sad that Tyson doesn't even feel like teasing him for it.

"Sorry, bro. We'll try to put on a good show for you." Tyson claps Nate's shoulder and Nate smiles his thankful smile, like he forgot his mom's birthday but Tyson sent her flowers from Nate, so she'll never know. 

****

As it turns out, they fail spectacularly at putting on a good show in Winnipeg, unless losing 6-1 with their one coming after all six of Winnipeg's counts as a good show. The plane ride home is bleak, especially without Nate, who is always able to cheer Tyson up. Nate had sent a text saying _we'll get them next time_ , but that didn't help too much. Tyson gets home that night and crashes, hoping tomorrow's practice will be of the 'moving on' variety and not the 'review every mistake we made yesterday' variety, because there were a lot of mistakes and that would be a long practice.

****

Bedsy opens practice the next day by saying, "In an 82-game season, there are bound to be a few like yesterday. We're just going to keep doing what we're doing, and the wins will come." Between that and the fact that Nate is out of his non-contact jersey, Tyson's incredibly relieved, and he's not alone. Practice goes without incident; the team is much more lighthearted in the locker room afterwards than they were on the plane last night.

"Edmonton tomorrow, eh?" Nate says after they've all showered and changed.

"Yeah. I feel good about it," Tyson replies. "Obviously Davo is an issue, but I think we can handle him."

"Of course," Nate replies easily, as if handling Connor McDavid is an easy thing, rather than a thing that ranks somewhere between surviving a grizzly bear attack and saying no to ice cream on the possibility scale. "Not the ideal matchup for me in my first game back, but I think we have a great chance at winning."

It takes a second, but Tyson digests what Nate just said and a huge, dorky smile spreads across his face. "They're letting you back in the lineup?" 

Nate smiles back excitedly, like he bought this present months ago and could hardly wait to give it away, and nods.

"That's great," Tyson replies, and he doesn't even care that the smile on his face makes him resemble a six-year-old who just got a new toy. The team needs Nate and Tyson gets to watch Nate play hockey again and Tyson's cool-guy sexy act can go fuck itself.

"Dude, I'm glad that I get to play, but I'm even more glad that I don't have to stand around and watch anymore. I can't stand that shit," Nate says. Tyson nods in agreement. Watching the team win is fun, but not as fun as being on the ice, and helplessly watching the team lose is actually worse than being on the ice, so watching is just a lose-lose scenario.

When they're all ready to head out, Gabe invites everyone to lunch at a place just down the road for some kind of team bonding, which is frankly ridiculous because Tyson spends more time with every one of his teammates than he does with his own family, but whatever. It's optional, Gabe insists, but glares at the top guys in turn until they all agree to go. As they decide who's driving, Tyson naturally gravitates towards Nate before realizing that it would probably be in his best interests to not subject himself to Nate's presence in any sort of team context that isn't on the ice. He is definitely about to be touching Nate in all sorts of ways in an overcrowded vehicle, which probably won't end well. If he and Nate weren't together, though, the team would think it was weird, so Tyson's basically screwed either way.

Tyson ends up in the middle of Gabe's back seat between Nate and Mikko, very much touching every part of his left side to Nate's right side. He saw it coming, he knew it was happening, but it's still the worst kind of pleasure Tyson's ever felt. He commits to holding very still and not making eye contact with Nate. He doubts very much that this plan will actually work, but he feels comfort in the fact that he at least has a plan.

"Everybody comfy?" Gabe asks, as he turns around with a wide grin. Tyson rolls his eyes because no car's back seat is built for three professional hockey players to sit in at the same time, but Gabe just says "Good!" and starts the car.

They're barely out of the parking lot, but Tyson thinks his plan is going well, so far. He vaguely hears Mikko say something from his right, and after a beat of silence, hears, "Tys?"

"Huh?" Tyson looks over at Mikko, thankful for the distraction.

"I said, are you okay? You are all stiff and quiet. You are never quiet," Mikko answers.

"Oh," Tyson says, letting out a short laugh and forcing himself to relax, "Yeah, I'm good, man. If our captain hadn't forced us all into his weird, uncomfortable car, I would be better, though." 

"Hey," Gabe quips from the front seat. "Annabelle is not weird, and it's not her fault that you're short and got stuck in the middle."

"I am not short, you people are just freakishly tall." Nobody even comments on the fact that Gabe named his car 'Annabelle,' which probably says a lot.

"You're just travel sized for our convenience, T-bear," Nate says, resting his hand on Tyson's thigh, which does not help the situation. Tyson somehow manages not to tense back up at the touch. 

He's still not planning on making eye contact with Nate, though, until, "Was that _Disney_? Did you just quote Mulan at me?" Tyson asks incredulously, involuntarily turning, and god damnit, the smug bastard is grinning ear to ear, his 'gotcha' smile, like Tyson just denied behind head over heels in love with Nate and Nate knows it's a lie. 

"Yup," Nate replies, smile staying firmly in place on his stupid gorgeous lips. 

Tyson's momentarily distracted, but regroups quickly, because Nate has just engaged the _wrong person_ in a Disney battle. Tyson smirks and starts singing, "Let's get down to business! To defeat! The Huns!" He's carrying on and pretending to conduct the rest of the car. Tyson's mildly interested to hear Mikko's Finnish version of the song, but he doesn't let it distract him. When they reach the last line of the verse, Tyson turns back to Nate and looks him directly in the eye as he sings, "Mister, I'll make a man out of you."

Nate's eyes go wide and a blush forms on his cheeks as he pulls his hand back from Tyson's thigh. Tyson is always the one blushing. This is the first time since they started this whole bit that he's made Nate blush, and it feels amazing. They pull into the parking lot of the restaurant just then and pile out, and if Tyson accidentally touches Nate's ass in his haste to exit the car, so be it.

It's Nate who conveniently sits on the opposite side of the table from Tyson inside the restaurant, and Tyson's oddly proud that he managed to rattle Nate considering Tyson nearly always feels like he's two steps behind, but he's also worried that Nate might be upset. Halfway through the meal, Nate kicks him under the table and smiles his comforting smile, like the rain will stop and the sun will come out any minute now, and Tyson resolves to stop worrying that he's pushing it too far. 

****

After the Oilers game, the team is pretty quiet in the locker room. Not only had they absolutely not handled Davo, he'd actually gotten a hatty, and some hats found their way to Pepsi Center's ice. If seeing another team's hats hit your home ice isn't the worst feeling in the world, Tyson doesn't know what is.

Nate comes over after they've showered and changed and says, "Hey."

"Hey," Tyson replies, and offers Nate what is probably the world's most pathetic attempt at a smile. He was expecting this because they usually hang out after day games, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow the loss.

Nate lifts a corner of his mouth in response. "Netflix and chill?" he asks, waggling his eyebrows dramatically for the benefit of their teammates, but with a look in his eyes that takes Tyson's breath away for a second.

He gets a few chuckles from around the room, and when Tyson remembers how to speak again, a weak "sure" that Tyson hopes sounds like he's just still upset about the loss. 

Nate glances at his watch. "I'll meet you at your place around 8?" he asks.

"Yeah," Tyson replies, and because he's feeling brave, or stupid, or both, adds, "I'll have dinner ready and waiting, honey." The guys laugh again, and Nate raises an eyebrow but leaves it there, walking out of the locker room with a wave. 

Tyson spends an embarrassing amount of time deciding what to wear, considering his best friend is coming over to watch Netflix. He settles on a t-shirt and sweatpants, but the ones without the holes, so he looks like he's put in some effort. He calls in an order for some pizza and wings, so it doesn't look like he's put in too much effort. Also because pizza is delicious. 

At 7:55, his doorbell rings, and Tyson grabs the money he got out for the pizza off the table as he pulls the door open. Nate is _never_ early, except, apparently, for tonight, because it's Nate and not the pizza guy at the door. Tyson wishes he could handle surprising situations like a normal person and be smooth about this, but instead his mouth falls open for a second before he says, "What are you doing here?"

Nate laughs and pushes past Tyson into the house. "I'm here to watch Netflix and chill, remember?" he teases as he heads towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, but you're early," Tyson calls after him as he shuts the door and puts the pizza money back on the table.

"I missed you," Nate calls back, and that isn't a completely abnormal thing for Nate to say, but in the context of tonight, it feels like a lot. Tyson tries to think of a witty comeback, he really does, but the pizza guy chooses that moment to show up, and Tyson just turns back to the door instead.

Pizza in hand, Tyson heads towards the kitchen, where Nate's apparently waiting. "Dinner is served," he says as he rounds the corner. He's glad he gets the pizza onto the kitchen island before he really sees Nate, because pizza on the floor always lands cheese-side down and that's both sad and messy. He looks up to take in the picture of Nate, leaning casually against his kitchen counter in a tight black t-shirt and jeans, fiddling with his phone. Tyson's probably seen Nate in similar outfits hundreds of times, but he swears the t-shirt has never fit like that before, and there's something about Nate being casually in his kitchen that is making Tyson's throat go dry.

Nate rolls his shoulders and looks up from his phone. "About time, too," he says. "I'm starving." He reaches for the plates—he knows what cabinet they're in and that really shouldn't be sexy—and grabs two, handing one to Tyson. Tyson manages to take the plate, which he thinks is pretty admirable. "And sore," Nate adds with a grimace. "First game back after injury sucks."

"First of all," Tyson starts, "you've been here for like two minutes, so it's not like I kept you waiting to eat. Second, the food is here before eight and I couldn't possibly have expected you'd be early, so you don't get to blame me for your hunger problem." 

"No blame here," Nate responds. "Just hunger and soreness." He piles three pieces of pizza on top of the few wings he already has on his plate and heads for the living room. "What are we watching?" he asks over his shoulder.

"I don't know, find something," Tyson answers, gathering his own food and some napkins before heading to join Nate in the living room. Nate's on the couch, channel surfing and eating a piece of pizza, and if everything Nate does tonight is going to look ridiculously hot for no reason, Tyson's going to have to avoid looking at him. Tyson sits next to Nate, which is a great place to not have to look at him too much. 

Nate fails to find something to watch. He finally stops changing channels, leaving the TV on ESPN, and Tyson rolls his eyes. "What?" Nate asks.

"You couldn't do any better than ESPN?" Tyson asks around a mouthful of pizza.

"Dude, I need to eat wings. That requires both hands. You find something," Nate replies, tossing the remote into Tyson's stomach.

Tyson starts flipping channels and he can see why Nate was having issues because there is nothing good on the, like, 600 channels of cable he gets. He flips over to Netflix and turns on 'The Ranch,' a show that he and Nate started a few months ago and didn't finish. The episodes are only like 25 minutes long and they get through a few of them in companionable silence before Nate gets up and takes both of their plates to the kitchen. With effort, Tyson does not watch him walk out of the room, because Nate's ass is gorgeous most days and he looked hot leaning against a counter earlier, so Tyson doesn't want to risk it.

Nate comes back holding Dairy Queen blizzards and Tyson, with all the eloquence of the Queen of England, splutters. "What the fuck?" he adds, checking the time to make sure he didn't just lose 20 minutes while Nate ran to Dairy Queen.

Nate laughs, full-out, and now Nate looks hot while making fun of Tyson, which is downright unfair. "I was wondering why you weren't asking for this. Did you not see me walk in with them?" Nate asks.

"You brought those?" Tyson asks, stupidly, because obviously he brought them, as there is no Dairy Queen location in Tyson's kitchen. That would be amazing, though.

"Yeah," Nate replies, still chuckling. He hands one of the cups to Tyson, adding, "Your favorite." He smiles at Tyson, adoringly, like there's nowhere he'd rather be, and sits back down on the couch markedly closer to Tyson than he was when he got up. 

After ice cream, Tyson disposes of the cups. When he heads back into the living room, he goes behind the couch, leans down, and starts rubbing Nate's shoulders. Nate tenses momentarily at the touch and then goes boneless, his head falling forward. He sighs and moves his head back and forth, moving and stretching the muscles Tyson is rubbing. "Tys, that feels amazing," Nate says. His voice is low and relaxed, which Tyson appreciates. A massage after a game always feels amazing, never mind when that game is your first game back from injury.

Tyson keeps rubbing, moving his hands down to get the muscles under Nate's shoulder blades. He hits one spot that feels particularly tight, pushes a bit harder, and Nate moans. A chill runs down Tyson's spine at the sound and something particularly chaotic is happening inside his stomach, but he keeps rubbing at the knot in Nate's back. Nate says "oh" in a terrible, breathy kind of voice, and moans again. Tyson honestly doesn't think Nate's doing it on purpose, but the noises he's making are going to drive Tyson crazy in a second, so he moves back up to Nate's shoulders, rubs there for a minute more, and then stops. Nate lets out a breath, and Tyson turns and basically runs to the bathroom. 

Tyson paces in the bathroom, which is a feat because the first-floor bathroom is really not very big. He's incredibly turned on, so he runs through boner-killing scenes in his head. This part is easy. Every guy who's been through puberty has go-to boner killers. They're pretty effective, as usual, so Tyson flushes the toilet he didn't use and turns on the water so he can pretend he's fine when he goes back out into the living room. He splashes some cold water on his face and washes his hands before heading back out.

Nate is on the couch still, with his head leaned back and his eyes closed. Tyson goes around the couch and sits back down next to Nate, focusing his attention back onto the television. After a minute, he hears, "Tys?"

"Yeah?" Tyson responds.

"You are fucking amazing," Nate says, still laying back.

Tyson laughs softly, and because he doesn't have to look at Nate while he says it, adds, "I usually don't get that until _after_ sex." 

"Uh-huh, sure you do, stud," Nate responds. He still has his head back on the couch, but Tyson can feel him laughing where their bodies are pressed together. Tyson's not sure whether this is better or worse than the last time Nate was here and the sexual tension was palpable. That was uncomplicated, it was hormones. But this? This is comfortable and easy and endlessly confusing. 

Nate sits up, then, using Tyson's thigh to help reposition himself. When he's done adjusting, Nate throws his arms across the back of the couch like it's nothing, but it's definitely something because now his right arm is around Tyson's shoulders. This is feeling more like a relationship than any interaction with someone Tyson isn't dating should feel like, but he kind of loves it. He leans into Nate, closes his eyes, and breathes in, smelling pizza and Nate's laundry soap. Tyson doesn't remember feeling this content in a long time.

Tyson jolts awake when something on the television roars. "Morning, sleeping beauty," Nate says. "Sorry about the dragons. I always forget how loud they are."

"Dragons?" Tyson asks, sitting up and stretching. He looks at the TV and sees that Nate is watching Harry Potter, which explains the dragons. He glances at clock and sees that it's 11, and, oh god, he's been sleeping on Nate for an hour and a half. He finishes his stretch and turns to his friend with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, bro."

Nate waves his hand in the air. "Shut up. You're adorable."

It's not Tyson's fault that he lights up like a Christmas tree at that comment, it really isn't. "I'm adorable?" he asks, delighted.

"Of course you are, idiot." Nate replies, like it's obvious and not something very new that Tyson has wanted to hear from Nate for ages. Tyson can't see what his face is doing, but he's sure it's utterly embarrassing; yet, he can't bring himself to care. Nate looks over at him, smiles, indulgent, like a child asked for dessert before dinner and Nate can't help but give in, and shoves Tyson lightly. "Shut up," he says again.

Nate pulls his phone out of his pocket, which is clearly just an escape from this conversation, but he curses when he turns it on. "I missed a call from my sister. What the hell is she doing calling me this late?"

"Did I make you miss a call? Sorry," Tyson apologizes without even waiting for an answer, but Nate waves him off again.

"No, I have it on do not disturb so it doesn't ring between 10 and 7. Normally, my family doesn't call this late," Nate explains, then sighs. "I should go anyway. We have practice and a flight to Vancouver tomorrow and I still haven't packed for our trip."

"Yeah, definitely," Tyson says, and moves so Nate isn't trapped on the couch. Nate gets up and stretches, and Tyson winces at how much his back pops. He must have been in pain staying still so Tyson could sleep. Tyson stands, too, and turns off the television.

"See you in the morning?" Nate asks, as if Tyson might not be at practice. 

"Yeah," Tyson responds anyway, smiling. 

Nate smiles back, tired. "Sleep well, Tys," he adds, and walks out the door dialing his phone. 

Tyson puts away the leftovers from dinner after Nate goes. He loved tonight, but he's confused by it, too. He feels like this relationship with Nate is the best one he's ever had, but it's not even really a relationship at all. But then, maybe it is. Nate certainly never said things like "you're adorable" or "sleep well" before. Tyson sighs. This situation is far more complicated than anything he thought he was getting himself into.

An hour later, Tyson is finally getting ready to go to sleep when he remembers that Nate's sister had called at an odd hour. He picks up his phone and calls Nate, who answers on the second ring with a "Tys?" He sounds like he was already asleep and Tyson cringes a little. 

"Yeah, sorry, I just wanted to make sure everything was cool with your family and all that," Tyson explains. It's not the best sentence Tyson's ever put together, but it gets the point across.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it was something dumb. No big deal," Nate answers.

"Okay, cool. See you in the morning."

Nate hums in agreement, says something that sounds like "night," and hangs up. Tyson hangs up, smiles, and looks down at his phone before realizing that Nate had missed the call from his sister because of the 'do not disturb' function on his phone. Nate had picked up Tyson's call, though. Tyson stares for another few seconds before deciding that he needs more sleep before he can digest exactly what that means.

****

Tyson and Nate form a sort of unspoken agreement that they’ll pause whatever they have going on while they're on their road trip, although there are some accidental touches and some more-than-accidental glances thrown in there. It's a three-game tour across Canada and the team needs them on point for these games. They win in overtime in Vancouver, with Tyson somehow pulling off a five-point night, and it's incredible. They lose in overtime in Edmonton, but they play a great game and still come away with a point. Then they go to Calgary and Nate scores their only goal to the Flames' five. It's not a pleasant end to the road trip, but they're headed to a four-game home stand and the Pepsi Center is an incredible place to play, so the team's spirits aren't too low.

****

It's after practice on their first day back in Denver and Tyson is just glad to be back in his own home when he gets a text from Nate. _You busy?_

_Nope. What's up_ Tyson shoots back. 

_Can I come over?_ Nate replies.

 _I thought your fam was in town?_ It's not that it's a problem if Nate's family is coming, either, but Tyson would at least like some warning so he can put on real pants.

 _They get in tomorrow_ is Nate's response. 

_Oh ok. Yeah come on over._ Tyson shuts off his phone and stays firmly on the couch. He can be in hole-plagued sweats for Nate and he's exhausted and sore from the road trip. Sleeping in hotel beds is not Tyson's idea of a good time.

A few minutes later, there's a knock, and Tyson gets up to open the door, only groaning a little as he does. Nate steps inside and Tyson closes the door. Tyson turns back to ask Nate what's up, but as soon as he turns, he's pushed back and Nate's body is holding his against the door. Tyson's eyes fly wide and look directly into Nate's, which are dark and intense and just a few inches away. Tyson had sucked his breath in when his back hit the door and he can't seem to figure out how to let it out, so he just stares.

Nate stares back and, without blinking, says, "Do you want this?"

That's enough to get Tyson to breathe out, at least, but he doesn't think he can form words. His entire body is tingling and he can feel every muscle in Nate's chest and stomach with each breath he takes. Nate is only two inches taller, but he has his arms up with his palms on either side of Tyson's shoulders, and Tyson is completely surrounded. He breathes in again and all he can smell is Nate.

"Tys," Nate says, and it almost sounds like he's pleading. This is the best and worst thing that's ever happened to Tyson, because he's touching Nate all over but he doesn't know how to make the right sounds to end the suffering in Nate's voice. Nate drops his head to Tyson's shoulder and leans his hips back a little bit. It feels for a second like Nate's going to step away, and that's not at all what Tyson wants, so he forces noise out of his throat. It's not a word, but it stops Nate from moving away, so it will do for now.

Nate looks back up and catches Tyson's eye again, and he says, "I need to know if you want this." 

It's so much. It's too much. It's a random Sunday and Tyson is sore and he's pinned against a door by the man he's wanted for years, who is asking him if he wants everything he's wanted for years. Tyson needs to say yes, he wants to say yes. He forces another sound from his throat, but it still isn't a yes, and Nate exhales sharply. His voice drops dangerously low, and he says, "Tyson," and Nate _never_ calls him Tyson, it's always Tys, and now it's _Tyson_ and that's enough.

"Yes," Tyson says, and it's only a whisper, but Nate's lips come crashing down on his. It hurts a little at first, the intensity of it, but Tyson relishes it because it's Nate, and Nate's kissing him, and it's the best pain he's ever felt. 

Nate pulls back and there might not be enough oxygen in Tyson's entryway for this. Tyson looks up at Nate, only to find the most beautiful man he's ever seen staring back at him, eyes wide and lips red. They're both gasping for breath and they stay like that for a minute, just looking at each other. How had Tyson ever thought that Nate wasn't gorgeous? He obviously is, especially when he's this close and just finished kissing Tyson.

"Why?" Tyson asks.

"I wasn't just fucking with you with the flirting, Tys. I wouldn't do that," Nate says, then laughs softly. "I literally couldn't do that anymore, actually, hence the door."

"How long?" Tyson presses. Nate looks down, then, almost shy.

"Since the end of last season, more or less," Nate admits, still not making eye contact with Tyson.

"Almost a year?" Tyson exclaims. "And how long have you known that I…" he trails off.

"Longer," Nate responds. "I'm sorry, Tys, I just thought it would be better for us and the team if we ignored it, and you never did anything either, so I just left it." Nate steps away, freeing Tyson.

"You never gave me any indication that you were interested in men at all, Nate, what was I supposed to do?" Tyson asks, and he's not sure why he's pushing this. Nate just gave him what he wants and he should probably just shut up and take it, but he has to have zero chill, always, so he keeps going. "I thought I would ruin our friendship and the team dynamic and possibly my _career_ if I did anything."

Nate reaches out and pulls Tyson in. He leans down and kisses Tyson lightly, then pulls back. "I know. I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner."

Tyson wants to stay mad, he really does. It's the principle of the thing. But he's in Nate's arms and he could just lean up and kiss Nate if he wants to, so he does, and Nate kisses him back, and that's pretty much the end of Tyson's anger. He is still sore, though, so he says "Couch?" between kisses, and they make their way over to sit down. 

They alternate kissing with paying vague attention to the TV, which Tyson had on before Nate showed up, while laying in each other's arms, and Tyson's basically never been happier. It's almost an hour after they made it to the couch when Nate speaks up again. "Tys?"

"Hmm?" Tyson asks, not looking up at Nate from his position under Nate's arm.

"So, my parents are coming into town tomorrow," Nate starts.

"Yeah?" Tyson says, and it comes out like a question because he knew that already but doesn't know why Nate is bringing it up now.

"I was thinking maybe you'd like to have dinner with my parents?" Nate's sounds like a question too, and is tentative, and Tyson's not used to Nate being tentative or shy yet.

Tyson's had dinner with Nate's parents before, so he doesn't get the tone at all. "Sure," he replies.

"But, like," Nate starts, then stops. "I mean, as my boyfriend." 

"Oh," Tyson replies, then " _oh_." He extracts himself from under Nate's arm, sits up, and faces Nate. "Is that what I am?" Tyson asks, and it might be a stupid question, but his brain loves asking those. 

Nate smiles, hopeful, like Tyson might be about to make his day, and says, "I think so, unless you want to see other people already."

"No!" Tyson almost shouts, and that's embarrassing, but Tyson's constantly losing his cool around Nate and Nate kissed him anyway, so he goes with it. "I mean, yes, I want to be your boyfriend, please." Nate laughs, his eyes lit up. "But are you sure you want to tell your parents already?" 

"Tys," Nate starts, laughing, "we've basically been dating for like a month and you haven't fucked it up yet, so I think we're good."

"Hey," Tyson protests, but he's smiling and even he can hear that it's weak. "It's only been like two weeks since the hiking thing, anyway," he adds.

Nate looks genuinely surprised. "Really?" he asks, tilting his head. "Huh. Feels like fucking forever, honestly."

"I don't even want to hear about forever from you, Nathan," Tyson says, even though he agrees, because it's been literal years that Tyson's wanted this and he'll be damned if he lets Nate complain about a couple of weeks. Nate, for his part, has the dignity to look a little bit sheepish, but then he leans over and kisses Tyson again, and Tyson supposes he can be forgiven.

Hours later, they're still on Tyson's couch flipping through things to watch on Netflix, when Tyson sees the ad for 'Bill Nye Saves the World' and his eyes light up. He starts laughing, quietly at first, but then louder. "What's so funny?" Nate asks, looking at him with amusement.

"My hypothesis was correct!" Tyson exclaims, then leans in to kiss Nate who looks confused, but obliges. "Several tests have produced conclusive results," Tyson adds.

"What the hell are you on?" Nate asks, but with a fondness in his eyes that Tyson cherishes. Tyson shakes his head and lays back down on Nate's chest, where he will probably stay forever, or at least until they have to go to morning skate tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> I also have to credit ["Friends Don't" by Maddie and Tae](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e04pTwZdLhg), which is where I got the title for this fic. You could tell me that song isn't about these two, but you'd be lying. Also, if you were curious, there is a [Finnish version of 'I'll Make a Man Out of You'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIve0UBXvJ4) from Mulan. I, personally, adore it.
> 
> Some hockey facts disclaimers! Although I tried to get the hockey portions correct, I took a few liberties, including:  
> 1\. While the Avs did lose to the Habs on 1/23, I have no idea if any of the Montreal goals were Tyson Barrie's fault. It just worked in the story.  
> 2\. While the Avs did play the Habs again at home on Valentine's Day, and Nate was out injured for that game, I don't actually know if he would've been at the facility at the same time as the players were there for morning skate.  
> 3\. I checked the stats for the Valentine's Day Habs game and picked someone who had no points, but did have PIMs. That person ended up being Toninato. He did take a slashing penalty drawn by Jo Drouin in the second, but otherwise, I don't know if his game was good or bad.


End file.
